Sanderstead Athletic U12 'A' 2 v 4
Rusthall U12 'A'
On Sunday the Rustics where back in
league action and travelled away to a good Sanderstead side, earlier in the
season the sides met at Jockey Farm with Rusthall winning a close game 1-0. The
pitch was in great condition and it encouraged both sides to get the ball down
and play football. Rusthall knew they had to dominate the early exchanges and
put the Sanderstead back 4 under pressure. Theo Cunningham saw a lot of the ball
in the opening 10 minutes and was finding a lot of space out wide on several
occasions he destroyed the defence but the final ball was missing! The front two
of Khalid Mirambakale and Christian Lawal used their pace and hunted down the
ball giving Sanderstead no time to build from the back.
After 15 minutes it was Cunningham again
who broke down the right hand side of the pitch and cut inside the box only for
the Sanderstead centre back to bring him down, the Referee pointed straight to
the spot and gave the penalty. The Rustics skipper Alfie Baitup stepped up
confidently and dispatched the penalty with ease giving Rusthall a 0-1 lead. Not
long after it was 0-2 good work from Cunningham found Mirambakale in the box who
laid the ball off for Baitup who hit a unstoppable drive into the top of the
net.
Rusthall was now in total control and
the passing and movement of the side was a joy to watch, it was not long after
the second that Christian Lawal was put through and he out paced the defence and
then coolly hit the ball with the outside of his right foot in the bottom corner
of the net to make it 0-3 to Rusthall at half time.
The second half began and Sanderstead
looked a different side and started to make a game of it competing for the
football and putting the Rustics on the back foot at times. The home side scored
a very good goal half way through the second half to make the score 1-3, this
was soon cancelled out by striker Max Gillman who done very well to control a
through ball and then slot the ball very calmly passed the keeper to make it 1-4
to the Rustics. Late on the home side on a consolation goal to make it 2-4 to
Rusthall.
The Rustics are still second in the
table and play top of the league Croydon on Sunday for the first time in a must
win game!
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Rustics book their place in the final!
Rusthall U12's 'A' 1 - 0 Balham Blazers
U12's
On Sunday Rusthall entertained Balham Blazers in
the League Cup Semi Final at Jockey Farm, Rusthall. The opening 10 - 15 minutes
was a very nervous affair with both sides struggling to create any real goal
scoring opportunities. The Rustics played against the wind in the first half and
they found it hard at times to pass and move the ball around the pitch. Balham
stayed in shape very well and competed well. The only chance that the Rustics
had in the first half fell to Steven James who hit a very good shot which the
keeper done well to save. The half time came with the scores level at
0-0.
With the wind now behind them the Rustics camped
themselves in the Balham half and started to create goal scoring chances, but
could not find the back of the net. 20 minutes into the second half the goal
came good work from Henry Martin down the left wing ended in him finding Tom
Cameron in the box who hit a very good shot only for the Balham keeper to make
point blank save, Theo Cunningham was first to pounce on the rebound from the
keeper and he drove the ball into the goal to give Rusthall a 1-0 lead.
Rusthall never really looked like conceding a goal
with the back 3 of David Bentley, Steven James and Sam Evemy holding firm
throughout the whole game. This is the under 12's first season together as a
team so to reach a cup final is a fantastic achievement. Rusthall will now play
the winners of the other semi final between Monotype and Doverhouse Lions on
April 20th at Chipstead. Well done boys!
Rusthall Under 12 'A' 1 v 0 Sanderstead Athletic 'A'
Rusthall continued their good form on
Sunday when they played a very strong side from Sanderstead in a Tandridge
division 'A' clash. The opening stages of the game was very even both sides
competing very hard for the ball and a lot of the play was in the middle of the
park. The Rustics changed formation and for the first time this season they
opted to play 4-4-2, which worked well allowing full backs George Carey and Tom
Cameron to get forward and support the front men. The first half came to a close
with the score at 0-0 and neither keeper had a save to make.
At the half time break Rusthall shuffled
the pack a bit and moved George Carey to centre midfield, with Theo Cunningham
now playing wide on the right and Daniel Roche playing left back. The changes
worked instantly with Theo Cunningham breaking down the right hand side of the
pitch causing the Sanderstead defence a lot of problems. Carey was also now
starting to link up with Henry Martin and Martin was putting some very dangerous
crosses into the box. The Rustics now started to turn up the heat on Sanderstead
and in form striker Max Gilman when very close with header which just went over
the bar.
The crowd was then treated to a moment
of pure brilliance Khalid Mirambakale picked a bouncing ball up on the edge of
the box he then flicked the ball up and with his right foot drove the ball
towards goal, the ball was heading for the top corner only for the Sanderstead
goal keeper to make a fantastic save. Minutes later Theo Cunningham was put
through on goal, the ball bobbled just as he was striking the ball and it went
over the bar.
The goal finally came it was Cunningham
again down the right who played the ball across the box, Luke Sambrook reacted
the quickest he beat one defender and then with his right foot struck the ball
into the bottom corner, to give the Rustics a 1-0 win. At the Weekend Rusthall
are playing Balham Blazers in the Semi Finals of the
cup.
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Rusthall U12's 4 v 0 Sutton Utd U12's
On Sunday Rusthall Under 12's entertained Sutton United in a Tandridge Division 'A' clash. With all the rain
over the last few weeks the pitch was in good condition heavy in places but over
all a good playing surface. The home side started very well and dominated
possession, they passed the ball around the park and carved out 5 or 6 very good
chances to score but it was the Sutton goal keeper who denied the Rustics time
after time. As the half went on Sutton started to grow in confidence and they
also had a couple of good chances to score but the home sides defence held firm,
both sides went into half time with the score level at 0-0.
The Rustics had a talking to at half
time about taking chances when you are dominating a match, the side was sent out
with no changes made to the starting 11. With 5 minutes gone the game was still
0-0 so the home side made the first change to the side which was to bring
striker and new signing from Vinters F.C Max Gilman on, he made an instant
impact from a corner he headed the ball against the bar, the ball then fell to a
Sutton defender who hit the ball out for another corner. From the second corner
it was Gilman again who headed the ball only for the keeper to save it! The
pressure was mounting now on the Sutton back line and 8 minutes into the second
half the Rustics found the net from yet another corner the ball was not cleared
properly and Tom Cameron fired the ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Theo Cunningham was destroying the
Sutton left back in the second half and it was his pin point cross that found
Max Gilman at the far post for him to head his first and the Rustics second. The
game was now one way traffic Cunningham was flying by now beating 3 players he
cut into the box and unleashed a thunder bolt of a shot only for it to be saved
again by the Sutton keeper the ball then broke to Ollie Muggeridge who made no
mistake firing the ball into the roof of the net for a 3-0 lead. The 4th came
soon after a good passing move involving Muggeridge, Sambrook and Gilman
resulted in Gilman going through one on one with the keeper and he very coolly
placed the ball into the corner of the net making the final score 4-0 to
Rusthall.
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Rusthall Under 12's March on to the Semi - Finals
Tulse Hill A U12's 3 (1) V 4 (1)
Rusthall A U12's
At the weekend Rusthall played Tulse
Hill A in the League Cup quarter finals. The game was always going to be a very
close match and both teams gave it everything they had. The weather made the
game even tighter as both teams struggled to get the ball down and play. In the
first half Rusthall played with the wind behind them and Tulse Hill found it
very hard to get the ball out of their half. The Rustics had attack after attack
but could not get the break through they wanted in the early exchanges. After 20
minutes the Tulse Hill defence did not clear the ball and Khalid Mirambakale
pounced onto the lose ball and beat the keeper to give Rusthall a 0-1 advantage
which they held onto until half time.
As the second half kicked off the
Rustics knew they had to play the wind and Tulse Hill which was always going to
be very hard. Tulse Hill dominated possession of the football and used it very
well going forward and at times Rusthall had every man behind the ball as they
tried to hang on to the 1 goal advantage. However the home side did get a very
well taken goal which they did deserve with all the pressure and possession they
had. With the score at 1-1 Rusthall just wanted to hang for extra time, holding
back two fresh players for extra time they wanted to have a go at them as Tulse
Hill tired.
Extra time did come and the sides played
10 minutes each way, the fresh legs made a difference for the Rustics and they
carved out 3 very good chances in the first period of extra time but did not
take advantage of them. As time went on Penalties where looming and the Rustics
made more changes to the side to get penalty takers back onto the
pitch.
The game went to penalties both sides
selected 5 players each to take the spot kicks. The Rustics had new signing
Jamie Weller in goal and on his debut had to stand between the sticks and
produce the goods, he did not let the boys down and he played superbly well,
saving 3 of the Tulse Hill Penalty kicks he played a huge part in the putting
Rusthall through to the Semi-Finals of the league cup. Man of the Match Jamie
Weller (what a debut)!Tulse Hill A U12's 3 (1) V 4 (1)
Rusthall A U12's
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RUSTHALL U12's 3-0 TEN EM BEE U12's
The Rustics continued their unbeaten run to make it
7 games now without loss in the Tandridge Division 'A'. At the weekend they
overcame a very gritty Ten Em Bee side with relative ease. The game kicked off
with the away side sitting deep and hoping to catch Rusthall on the break, it
was a very messy game for the first 20 minutes with both sides playing too many
long balls and giving possession away far to easily. However after 20 minutes
Steven Lawrence broke with the ball from defence looked up and picked out the
run of Christian Lawal who ran on and slotted the ball under the keeper to make
it 1-0 to Rusthall.
The Rustics had two more chances before the break
to extend their advantage the first falling to Theo Cunningham after good work
from Henry Martin who delivered an inch perfect cross only for Cunningham to
glance his header just wide of the far post, the second was crafted by the very
talented Khalid Mirambakale who went on a mazy run beating 3 players and shot
from outside the box only to be denied by the post. Half time score was 1-0 to
Rusthall.
At half time Rusthall made a few changes to the
side, which added fresh legs this paid off as Ten Em Bee started to run out of
gas and the Rustics started to dominate the game. After 10 minutes it was 2-0
good work by Ollie Muggeridge on the right hand side, beating his marker and
then driving the ball across the box for Tom Cameron to pop up at the far post
for a simple tap in that made it 2-0. In the last 10 minutes of the game the
away team where struggling with the fitness of the Rusthall team, the Rustics
saw this and made a tactical change bringing the very fast Lawal back into
action at left wing back, he was on the pitch just minutes before Sam Evemy
played him in he burned past the Ten Em Bee defence and curled the ball into the
top right hand corner of the goal making the final score 3-0.
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Dover House Lions U12's 0 v 1 Rusthall U12's
On a cold blustery and very wet Sunday morning
Rusthall travelled to the in-form Doverhouse Lions in a Tandridge Division 'A'
clash. The conditions where very hard for both sides and the Rustics knew they
would need to be right on top of their game to get a result. The match was late
in kicking off as the Groundsmen at Doverhouse Lions forked the pitch and was
taking the surface water away!
When the game did kick off Rusthall got stuck into
Doverhouse from the first whistle and with the first attack of the game Khalid
Mirambakale was through one on one with the goal keeper, unfortunately the ball
got caught in a puddle on the edge of the doverhouse box, Mirambakale done well
and managed to find his strike partner Theo Cunningham who calmly slotted the
ball home to put Rusthall in front after 5 minutes.
The rest of the half was very evenly matched with
both sides having attacks, the best chance for the rustics fell to Tom Cameron
who found him self on the edge of the doverhouse box and hit his shot just wide
of the target. At half time the lads got a well earned break and Rusthall made
some changes putting fresh legs onto the pitch to keep the high tempo game they
wanted play.
In the second half the first 10 minutes was all
dominated by the home side the Rusthall defence held firm, with Steven Lawrence
the Rustics keeper only required to make one very fine save, credit has to go to
David Bentley, Sam Evemy and Steven James all 3 with Steven played very well. As
the game went on Rusthall again started to dominate and was now opening the home
side up right at the end of the match Henry Martin found Luke Sambrook who hit a
powerful drive which the keeper saved the ball fell to Ollie Muggeridge and his
shot was cleared off the line. The final score was 0-1 to Rusthall. Man of the
match was captain Alfie Baitup.
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Rusthall U12's 'A' 1 v 1 Coney Hall
U12's
The Rustics knew this was going to be a hard game
which a heavy pitch and 7 first team players representing the West Kent District
squad on Saturday fatigue was always going to be an issue in the second half.
The game was very tense throughout and both sides struggled to play good
football on the surface. The first half was very even with Coney Hall having the
better chances to score, the sides went in at half time with the score at
0-0.
In the second half the 7 West Kent players started
to struggle and Coney Hall took control of the game and went in search of the
first goal, Rusthall started to ring the changes and got fresh legs onto the
pitch. The goal for Coney Hall finally came with 10 minutes to go, Rusthall
failed to clear there lines and the Coney Striker poked the ball
home.
With the score at 0-1 Rusthall had to throw more
bodies forward and had to sacrifice some defensive players for more attacking
options. The Rustics dominated the last 10 minutes of the game and played some
fantastic football. The equaliser was always going to come and it did good work
by Luke Sambrook who nicked the ball of the Coney Hall centre back then fed
Khalid Mirambakale who hit a right foot drive from outside the box which ended
up in the top right hand corner to make it 1-1. The Rustics pressure was
relentless and Mirambakale went close again with a glancing header which just
went wide of the far post. Final score was 1-1.
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Palace Guard A U12's 1 v 3 Rusthall U12's
The Rustics travelled to Palace Guard at the
weekend in a Tandridge Division 'A' clash. Rusthall started very well and
dominated the opening 10 minutes but failed to score, Theo Cunningham and
Christian Lawal came the closest but both had shots cleared off the line. The
home side started to come into the game and began competing well in the
midfield, which was a very physical battle so much so that inspirational captain
Alfie Baitup was elbowed in the mouth right in front of the referee and the
official waved play on to the dismay of the crowd and players, Baitup had to
come off and be patched up ready to be sent out for the second
half.
Shortly after the Rustics skipper leaving the pitch
the boys made Palace Guard pay with a well worked move resulting in Theo
Cunningham slotting the ball home to give the away side a 0-1 lead. The home
side did equalise before half time with a great free kick which was struck from
outside the box, Steven Lawrence the rustics keeper made a very good effort to
keep the ball and got his finger tips to it but could not stop it from hitting
the back of the net. Shortly after Lawrence was called upon again from a free
kick in the same position and this time he pulled off a great save. The score at
the interval was 1-1.
At half time Rusthall made some changes and put
fresh legs on which made a big difference with the wind now behind them the
Rustics started to open Palace Guard with ease and everyone could feel that
goals would come. After missing a number of good chances to score we finally
broke the Palace Guard defence and it was inform striker Khalid Mirambakale who
pounced at the far post to poke the ball home to make 1-2 to Rusthall. Dan Roche
was now partnering Mirambakale up front and Roche was relentless in his work
rate chasing down every ball and causing the Palace Guard defence lots of
problems and it was Roche who got the third goal, fine work by Luke Sambrook
down the left hand side saw him pick out Roche who made no mistake taking the
ball on the half volley making the final score 1-3 to Rusthall.
